May 10 Short Takes - King's Quest: Once Upon A Climb (Chapter 3)

What Is It?

Once Upon A Climb is the latest installment in The Odd Gentlemen's revival of King's Quest, the classic Sierra Games adventure series. It continues the saga of King Graham as he recounts his adventures throughout his lifetime. In this episode, Graham embarks on a quest to find his one true love. Unfortunately, he soon learns that love stories are not as simple as fairy tales make them seem.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this episode, as I have with the rest of the series thus far. Just like in the previous installments, Once Upon A Climb presents you with many choices that help determine how Graham's story will play out. This time, Graham must rescue two princesses who are being imprisoned by an evil witch, but things become more complicated when he finds himself trapped along with them. As always, Graham must use his wits to escape, while simultaneously determining which of the two women he is interested in asking to be his queen.

Highlights

From a storytelling perspective, Once Upon A Climb was very enjoyable. Whereas Episode 2 did little to advance the characters and the story, I found that Episode 3 very effectively did just that; not only did it introduce new characters, but it also progressed the overarching narrative of the series. The punny humor and interesting puzzles found in the previous chapters are in full force here, but this episode focused more on action and storytelling than anything else.

I really enjoyed getting to know the two princesses, Neese and Vee, and determining which one Graham would pursue. Vee is intelligent, competitive, and strong willed, whereas Neese is musically talented, imaginative, and idealistic. Your actions throughout the episode will affect who Graham ends up with.

Should You Buy It?

Absolutely. After a less-than-stellar Episode 2, I felt like Once Upon a Climb brought King's Quest back to the level of quality that I saw inEpisode 1: A Knight To Remember. If you don't have the season pass yet, then I recommend you check it out. However, due to the long gaps between episodes, I won't blame you if you choose to wait until all five episodes have been released.